It is important for an organization to showcase its best work and stay regularly connected via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat so that they can build a strong position in the market.
In Due to the 4.62 billion users of social media as of January 2022, social media has become the primary platform for digital marketing in today’s world.
That is equal to 58.4% of the world’s population! Let that sink in.
Social media platforms will be used by more businesses to promote their products, increase brand visibility, and increase engagement.
Businesses must choose one of the four social media platforms that best fits their needs and enables them to market their businesses successfully. We will present a comparison between the most popular social media platforms in this post to help you overcome this challenge.
Instagram vs. Facebook vs. Twitter vs. Snapchat – The Comparison
The comparison will be drawn on the basis of the following parameters:
- Describe how they work
- Reaching across the globe
- Involvement rate
- Feature-rich
In what ways do social media platforms differ?
Unlike Facebook, Instagram focuses mainly on recent updates, while Snapchat focuses on photos & videos. Users on Facebook share fun elements, whereas users on Twitter share the latest news and updates.
In both Instagram and Facebook, your content will last for a long time. A tweet, however, lasts forever on Twitter and Snapchat, even if it’s soon replaced by another more popular tweet. Within 24 hours, a snap disappears.
Comparing Snapchat and Instagram, users of Instagram share their photos, reels, and videos on their walls, while Snapchat users can send pictures and videos directly to their friends.
On Instagram, photos and reels are given more importance than text or hashtags, whereas on Twitter, text and hashtags are more important.
In comparing Facebook with Snapchat, the former allows both public and private postings, while the latter only allows private chats.
Which social media platform has the most global reach?
Having 2 billion active users worldwide, this photo-sharing app is extremely beneficial for all types of businesses. In addition to Indian users, there are many from other countries. See the geographical distribution of Instagram users in the graph below.
So what does this tell you?
You can reach your target audience across geographies with Instagram, thanks to its global reach.
Apparently, Facebook is the most popular social media platform for business marketing if posts add value to the community. Your posts should include at least 70% business tips, recent events, local news, or survey questions.
Facebook is used by around 2.91 billion users around the world to connect with one another. Therefore, if you are looking to increase your visibility, Facebook is the way to go!
According to Facebook research, it is best to post between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. when most people are likely to click and share.
Despite Twitter’s lower global user base than Facebook and Instagram, it is still a great way to market your business.
Using relevant hashtags, you can pinpoint your target audience and direct your posts towards them. In spite of this, make sure you’re sharing news on Twitter, as it is primarily designed for sharing worldly information.
Snapchat
A daily active user base of over 319 million and daily snaps of 5 billion make Snapchat one of the fastest-growing social networks in history.
Statista Stats reports that 48% of all internet users between the ages of 15 and 25 use Snapchat in the USA. You should use Snapchat for business marketing if your target audience falls into this category, since its users are evenly distributed across countries.
Please checking countries based on a number of Snapchat users as of October 2021 (in millions)
As you can see, Instagram has the best global reach, and Facebook has the most users. Both Instagram and Facebook are excellent options if you want to target users in several countries simultaneously. Meanwhile, you should use Twitter to share crisp and concise content. And if you are good at capturing images, Snapchat is for you! The platforms mentioned above can all be used based on your marketing needs.
Instagram vs. Twitter vs. Facebook vs. Snapchat – Monthly Active Users (MAU)
2 billion | |
2.91 billion | |
396.5 million | |
Snapchat | 347.3 million |
Instagram vs. Twitter vs. Facebook vs. Snapchat –Daily Active Users (DAU)
500 million | |
1.93 billion | |
206 million | |
Snapchat | 97 million |
Instagram vs. Twitter vs. Facebook vs. Snapchat – MAU Growth from 2019 to 2021
+16.0% | |
+19.0% | |
+8.0% | |
Snapchat | +17.0% |
If Taking a look at Instagram and Facebook users, you will notice a big difference. While Facebook receives more than one billion active users per month, Instagram only receives 500 million. The number of users on Facebook and Twitter, however, varies even more. The number of active Twitter users per day is 206 million, compared to 1.93 billion for Facebook.
The popular Snapchat app is quickly gaining popularity, but Instagram’s traffic continues to outpace Snapchat’s five times per day.
Which social media platform has the best engagement rate?
Instagram vs. Facebook
The engagement rate of Instagram is higher than that of Facebook, according to different Facebook and Instagram facts and figures. On Instagram, engagement rates range from 1% to 3%, whereas on Facebook, they are only 0.18 %.
Twitter has an engagement rate of 0.09% to 0.33%. Using Twitter to share news and updates encourages businesses to innovate and focus only on what’s important. Businesses wishing to analyze each event in detail can make use of Facebook’s ample space.
Snapchat
The average Snapchat user spends 30 minutes on the app daily, and Snapchat videos receive more than 10B daily views. Your business idea should be able to get through with just that!
Twitter vs. Facebook vs. Snapchat vs. Instagram: Engagement Rate
Target audiences should be the focus of a business. While Twitter allows you to reach a wide audience in one go, Snapchat allows you to reach only one person at a time.
While Snapchat may not be as popular as Instagram, its stories and live video features can generate a higher engagement and recall rate. The Instagram platform, on the other hand, allows businesses to share many photos, reels, and IGTV videos to engage their audiences.
If Facebook posts add value to the community more quickly, while Snapchat posts add value among friends and followers.
What are the unique features of social media platforms for business marketing?
There are a number of new features marketed by Instagram recently. Some are:
- US, Canadian, and Mexican Instagram users can now create 3D avatars.
- The Instagram feed now displays in chronological order.
- All Instagram users now have access to the link sticker in stories, previously it was reserved for users with 10,000+ followers.
- New safety features like Take a Break & Parental Controls have been added to Instagram.
- Users were able to update their walls through Instagram’s desktop app.
- A URL can be added to an Instagram shopfront.
- Introducing Instagram Ads: Instagram has introduced an ad facility through Facebook Ad Manager as a means of increasing views, engagement, traffic, and conversions.
- Although Instagram doesn’t have in-built analytics, it offers detailed analysis through third-party services like Sprout Social and Simply Measured.
- With Instagram’s Geofilter feature, users can share their current location without specifying their exact geographical location. Currently, it is available in a limited number of locations. A brilliant marketing tool for businesses.
Facebook has many unique features that are rarely available in other social media platforms. Some of them are:
- In partnership with Moo.com, Facebook created Facebook Cards, a unique marketing tool. You can order a Facebook card with gift coupons or other promotional offers on 16 point stock paper. Your cover photos, profile pictures, and contact information are similar to those on your business profile.
- Keeping track of competitors’ pages is the main purpose of Pages to Watch. It allows you to monitor five competitor pages on a weekly basis and see how many new likes they have received.
- Facebook allows you to invite email contacts to like your business page in the ‘Admin’ panel under the ‘Build Audience’ tab. There are many email providers that can do this, including Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and iCloud. Inviting contacts is limited to 5,000.
- Displaying ads on the screens of mobile phones is one way Facebook and app developers are able to make money.
- There is a new feature available on Facebook Messenger for Business. When shopping, consumers can ask questions or notify sellers about defective products. Both iOS and Android users can share 360-degree photos and HD videos up to 1080p with Facebook Messenger’s latest update. Video makers have a great opportunity with this update. Without video SEO, your videos will not rank on video search engines such as YouTube. The higher your videos rank, the easier it will be for people to find your content and the more likely it is to become viral.
- Facebook offers detailed analytics under the ‘Posts’ tab regarding audience, posts, engagement, etc. An organization can use this information to evaluate the success rate of its posts and make any necessary changes.
Twitter has unique features to help a business in the long run.
- The ‘Go Live’ button for Periscope: Twitter acquired Periscope, which allows users to broadcast directly from Twitter whenever they compose a tweet. Live streaming allows users to compile and publish long-form content.
- A native GIF search lets you share your thoughts. Posts with GIFs receive 55% more engagement!
- A new view for multi-photo displays and uncropped photos have been added to Twitter. A more engaging and attractive platform is created as a result.
A series of anti-harassment features and services have been implemented by Twitter to keep its platform safe from harassment. Among these features are:
- The ability to block, mute, and report abuse is a powerful feature
- Safety Center launched on Twitter
- Twitter’s terms of service define abusive behavior clearly
Snapchat
Self-destruct is Snapchat’s most appealing feature, where shared elements disappear after a few seconds. Among the many features available exclusively on Snapchat are:
- When snaps are sent and received, stories are posted, and other activities are accounted for, a score will be rewarded under Snapcode. If a friend on your contact list posts in the story feed or chat area, you can view their score. Snapchat is mainly used to boost scores. Promote your business using this to your advantage.
- Scannable codes are known as Snapcodes. Adding new friends is possible using this feature. You’ll find Snapcode on your profile page once you click the ghost icon in the camera screen.
- On Snapchat’s chat screen, Snapstreak displays different emojis next to Snapchat names. You have snapped with your friend within 24 hours for more than one consecutive day.
- Adding special effects and sounds to snaps is made easier with lenses.
- There are a lot of fun elements to Snapchat, including filters. The filters allow you to jazz up your snaps.
Twitter vs. Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Snapchat: Unique Features
These four platforms offer unique features that are perfect for business marketing, each of which is unique.
Instagram vs. Facebook
If Instagram Ads utilize Facebook Ad Manager to offer an advertising service, while Facebook has a Liberal Ad exchange.
Facebook vs. Twitter
The Facebook Live Streaming feature is available on Facebook, while Periscope is available on Twitter.
Twitter vs. Snapchat
Both Twitter and Snapchat have a self-destructing feature for security, and both have anti-harassment features.
Facebook vs. Snapchat
In contrast to Snapchat’s Snapcode feature, Facebook doesn’t offer QR codes to add friends.
Snapchat vs. Instagram
The unique feature offered by Instagram, ‘Geo-Filter’, lets you share your current location without specifying your precise location when comparing Snapchat and Instagram. Unlike Snapchat, there is no such feature.
Top Strategies to be followed for Effective Business Marketing on Social Media (Platform-wise)
To We should celebrate social media every day of the year, not just on June 30th, to increase customer engagement, drive sales, and attract more customers.
Social media marketing for business depends on three components: valuable content, a solid strategy, and know-how.
Find out how you can develop a social media marketing strategy for your business using the above elements.
For effectively marketing your business on Instagram,
- You should focus on the unique characteristics of your audience when creating a brand,
- Take a photo and caption that tells a story,
- Make contests that are engaging and interesting,
- Engage popular influencers and micro-influencers in your niche
- To reach your target audience, use Instagram ads.
Sponsored posts on Instagram have an ad recall of 2.9x higher than Nielsen’s online norms based on a study conducted across 475+ global campaigns. Use the above-mentioned strategies to make your images more identifiable and encourage users to like and comment. You will be able to:
- Increase the flow of traffic
- Boost sales graphs
- Increase brand awareness
- Boost brand mentions with hashtags
According to Facebook’s terms of service, anyone over 13 can create an account with a valid e-mail address. The reason for this is that a marketing strategy for a business should be youth-centric. You can target your ads to teenagers on Facebook because they spend most of their time there. More so, the website has become more popular among middle-aged adults as well.
An ideal Facebook marketing strategy should include:
- Profile photos that are recognizable
- An account that is maintained by the company
- In the company’s website, there should be an explanation of “About Us”
- Profile CTAs, cover photos, and posts should be consistent
- Organic posts that are tailored to your needs
- Time your postings, but do not overdo it
- The proper use of multimedia posts
- Responses to messages and inquiries within seconds
- Analyzing page performance with insights
You must also use Facebook advertising to amplify the reach of your posts to your target audience.
Here’s what you can do to market your business on Twitter.
- The more you thank someone, the more likely they are to follow you back.
- Micro-influencer marketing involves identifying and interacting with influencers and micro-influencers on a regular basis
- Create a Twitter bio that is optimized
- Utilize the social media tracking tool Hootsuite to track mentions and likes
- Make special offers available to followers
- Make use of images, videos, and GIFs.
- Integrate Twitter with other marketing efforts
- Engage in regular tweeting, retweeting, and liking
- Make sure you follow popular and relevant hashtags and trends
- Tweets that are promoted are effective
- Analyze your Twitter success rate using Twitter analytics
By following these points of Twitter Marketing you can grow your brand presence and community on Twitter.
Snapchat
Snapchat is perfect for real-time social media marketing. Here’s what you should do:
- Live streaming of events is provided
- Personalize content for your audience
- Get behind the scenes with people
- Contests can be conducted
- Identify influencers and interact with them
It is impossible to replicate the strategies adopted by the four social media platforms on the same platform. It may be better to use one for a short, engaging post, while the other engages your audience in a fun way.
Today, all platforms use distinct features to maintain their followers, so it should come as no surprise that each takes a likable feature from its rival and adds it to its own. In addition to snaps or stories, which are Snapchat’s brainchild, Instagram now also offers them.
Facebook and Twitter both allow multiple images to be posted at the same time.
Collaborating with influencers in your niche requires using all four platforms equally. A good engagement strategy requires hashtags, lead sharing, and effective calls to action on all four platforms.
Challenges in Social Media Platforms
Some of the greatest challenges are:
- Positioning your brand as the most trustworthy on Instagram
- Build a presence by searching for your followers
- Create a stronger community by interacting with your brand
- Your services are more likely to be used by users and followers.
It is important to map the topics of your posts before conducting Facebook marketing. The image of your brand may suffer if you choose boring facts or post too many posts.
Another challenge is meeting the consumer’s response time expectations. According to research, almost all consumers expect a response to their complaint within 60 minutes after posting a complaint on Facebook.
Despite adopting a proper marketing strategy, businesses may still face various challenges, such as:
- A limited amount of experience is available with Twitter’s operations. Privacy and security laws as well as regulations also play a role.
- If you receive bad press on Twitter, your brand’s reputation may be damaged.
- The race is on to keep up with user growth and meet their expectations.
- Slow growth is involved.
Snapchat
With Snapchat, brands face various challenges when conducting business marketing, which is why it is tricky to use.
- Snaps with sound are difficult to distinguish from those without.
- It doesn’t look or feel unprofessional at all.
- Sharing is difficult when you do not know what to share or when it is appropriate.
- You may not be able to reach your followers on this platform.
Snapchat vs. Instagram vs. Twitter vs. Facebook: Challenges
Businesses using social media and social media platforms struggle to maintain market positions. Businesses face major challenges when it comes to mastering these social media platforms, such as mapping topics or building a presence.
Meeting response time, slow growth, and sharing are some of the challenges. Due to the fact that 63% of Snap’s user base is between 18-34 years of age, its look and feel are considered less professional than Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram vs. Facebook vs. Twitter vs. Snapchat: Cost of Ads
It’s a brilliant idea to advertise on Instagram’s images, videos, carousel, and stories. Social media ads on Facebook receive 2.5 times more clicks than those on other sites.
Aside from having impressive targeting capabilities and higher CTRs, Instagram advertising is a little cheaper than Twitter and Facebook advertising. CPM for Instagram is estimated to be $6.70. With more and more companies using Instagram, this figure is expected to fall. In addition to providing:
- An increase of 97% in ad recall
- The average lift in recall of an advertisement is 16 points
- Nielsen ad recall was 7x higher than data from other studies
Every Facebook click costs $0.25 to $3.30. Depending on the size of the audience and the quality of the ad, the cost varies by industry.
Costs are not too high. It is for this reason that 1.5 million businesses spend money on mobile advertising, and 92% of them use Facebook ads.
Twitter has three types of advertising options
- The promotion of tweets,
- Accounts promoted, and
- The trend was promoted.
Promoting tweets and accounts costs between $0.50 and $4.00 per engagement, and promoting trends costs around $200,000.
Paid tweets and ads cost between $.50 – $2.00 to click, reply, retweet, or favorite. The engagement rate for local campaigns is $1.35.
Snapchat
As a social media platform, Snapchat advertising is somewhat more expensive than others. In spite of this, Snapchat ads are five times more likely to be swiped up than ads on other platforms. Advertisers can expect to pay $10,000/month for Snap ads.
The cost of Snapchat sponsored lenses varies based on the day of the week, with Sunday to Thursday costing $450,000, Friday and Saturday costing $500,000, and holidays costing $700,000.
As far as users, growth, and advertising revenue are concerned, Facebook dominates the social media landscape.
It is important to compare the costs of promoting posts on these four platforms before investing money.
Facebook vs. Instagram
Despite using Facebook Ad Manager to facilitate PPC advertising, Instagram is more expensive than Facebook.
The cost of Twitter ads is lower than that of Instagram ads.
With Snapchat’s unique cost variation feature, you can plan your ad placements better than you would with Twitter or Instagram.
Snapchat is the most expensive platform, while Facebook is the cheapest.
Important Facts About Instagram
The average user spends 28 minutes on Instagram every day. Almost 85 million top brands are now using social media to grow their audiences, and most of them prefer Instagram over other social networks.
Important Facts About Facebook
Within a month, visual content generates 65% more engagement in Facebook campaigns.
The majority of Facebook posts are promotional, displaying discounts or sales, 10% are promotional, promoting other business events, tagging others, or sharing their content.
Important Facts About Twitter
Video ads on Twitter have a lower cost-per-engagement (50%) than those without. The number of videos watched on Twitter every day exceeds 2 billion. It will be a great idea for you to use videos!
Furthermore, Twitter users spend 26% more time viewing ads than other social media users.
Important Facts About Snapchat
Stories on Snapchat last for 24 hours only. To create the video narrative, these snaps are used as a thread.
Almost 60% of Snapchat viewers skip ads and almost 5 billion snaps are created each day. Therefore, Snapchat might not be a good idea for marketing businesses in terms of ads.
Conclusion
Social media platforms have contributed significantly to business marketing, but you can’t deny their specific contributions.
From a broader perspective, you can see:
- Due to its slow and steady growth, Twitter has the greatest penetration potential.
- There is no better way to communicate with consumers than through Facebook.
- You can use hashtags and post pictures more effectively on Instagram.
- In spite of its non-professional appearance, Snapchat is capable of capturing the attention of users with its maximum capacity.
- The key is to ensure that your brand’s social media postings follow the thumb rules of social media marketing:
- When posting content, make sure it is consistent.
- Make sure the frequency is right. Be careful not to overwhelm your followers.
- While posting, keep your followers’ timezones in mind.
